adv
Meaning 1
In an offensive manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
offensively
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Canada, US: /əˈfɛnsɪvli/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: AH0 F EH1 N S IH0 V L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adverb
Meaning 2
in an aggressive manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- `In this crisis, we must act offensively,' the President said
- the admiral intends to act offensively in the Mediterranean
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: defensively
adverb
Meaning 3
in an obnoxious manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he said so in one of his more offensively intellectually arrogant sentences
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: objectionably, obnoxiously
Antonyms: none provided
adverb
Meaning 4
in an unpleasantly offensive manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he smelled offensively unwashed
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: inoffensively
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English offensive Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English offensively From offensive + -ly.
Across languages
Translations
4 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Catalan: ofensivament — in an offensive manner
- Esperanto: ofende — in an offensive manner
- Russian: оби́дно (obídno) — in an offensive manner
- Spanish: ofensivamente — in an offensive manner
Real reading context